A shore or shoreline is the
fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In
Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider
fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of
water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore, representing
the intertidal
zone where there is one.[1] In
contrast to a coast, a shore can
border any body of water, while the coast must border an ocean; that is, a coast is a type
of shore. Shore is often substituted for coast where an oceanic
shore is meant.

Shores are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape, as
well as by water induced erosion, such as waves. The geological composition of rock
and soil dictates the type of
shore which is created.